Alberta is still falling far below its annual flu shot targets, stuck less than halfway to the immunization goal for children under age two last year, according to health performance measures released in provincial budget documents.
Just 29 per cent of children aged six to 23 months got their recommended flu shot in the 2011-2012 fiscal year — far short of the 75 per cent target set the year earlier, when just 25 per cent of children under age two were immunized for influenza.
The numbers are increasing slowly, which is positive, but they need to be higher, said Dr. Martin Lavoie, the deputy chief medical officer of health. It’s only been in about the past five years that the province started including infants in its influenza campaign, Lavoie said, which may be why the numbers are lower than expected.
“We, of course, want to increase those numbers. Thirty per cent is not bad, but it needs to go higher,” Lavoie said.
“Children, especially in that age group, are more vulnerable to the disease and its complications.”
The province’s $6.5-million influenza immunization campaign offers the vaccine for free to all Albertans six months and older.
Family and friends encouraged Binod Pouyal to get the flu shot for his 19-month-old son, Ritwiz, last year.
Pouyal, who is from Nepal, didn’t want to take any chances with the health of his son, although immunization may not have helped much.
“Even with the vaccination, he has been sick every month,” Pouyal said. “So whether the vaccination worked or not, I’m not sure, but we did it as a precaution.”
Curtis and Adria Lajeunesse, from Edmonton, have had all three of their boys, between the ages of 10 months and four years, vaccinated for the flu in the past.
However, they were stymied from this year’s shot during last week’s snowstorm in Edmonton, which left many roads too dangerous to drive.
“The roads were ridiculous,” said Adria Lajeunesse. “But there’s no reason not to, other than forgetfulness.”
In other at-risk populations, 61 per cent of seniors age 65 and over got their flu shot last year, up from 59 per cent in 2010-2011 but also well below the 75 per cent target. The only population segment that came close was residents of long-term-care facilities, where 91 per cent received a flu shot. Still, the target was 95 per cent.
Elderly people and infants are the most vulnerable, Lavoie said — a message that he said is reiterated again and again by health professionals, as well as in posters and various publicity campaigns during flu season.
“Over time, I think people will get used to the idea that this is also for infants and not just for the elderly, and I think slowly we’ll be making progress,” Lavoie said.
There can also be some resistance on the part of parents to immunize their children, he noted.
But the Liberal MLA for Calgary-Mountain View, Dr. David Swann, said the missed targets are just another example of what happens when you have a health system that doesn’t prioritize prevention.
“We continue to spend over 95 per cent of our health-care budget on treatment programs after people get sick. And this is an example why we’re not getting ahead of our health problems and our emergency rooms are still too full and our hospitals are still too full,” Swann said.
Choosing to get a child vaccinated against the flu can be a complex decision for some parents, Swann said, and it’s important to try to understand how that decision is made.
The province should be working with families to understand and combat fear, misunderstandings and attitudinal barriers, he said, as well as specifically targeting high-risk populations such as low-income families and children.
Transportation is a huge barrier for low-income families, he said.
In 2007, Alberta began work on its 10-year immunization plan, focusing on improving how the province collects data about shots and bolstering clinic accessibility. Since then, Alberta has begun offering a broader array of vaccines to a wider population and launched an influenza social media campaign in the fall to try to boost the numbers.
With files from Trevor Howell, Calgary Herald
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